Chapter 89: Wei Zhongxian Feels a Stab to the Heart

The tree yearns for stillness, but the wind will not cease.

Sun Shenxing's expression was somewhat complicated—partly wistful, partly helpless, but mostly dissatisfied and indignant.

Turning his gaze to the assembled men, Sun Shenxing slowly asked, "What are your views on this matter?"

Everyone's faces were extremely grim.

Gao Panlong said with some fury, "This is cutting off our very roots!"

The assembled men fell silent.

Naturally, anyone could see that; otherwise, they wouldn't all have fallen silent.

Clearly, this new development had caught everyone off guard.

But the problem now was not complaining—it was how to resolve this.

"Luo Sigong, the Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—how could he be involved in this matter as well?" Zhao Nanxing, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, spoke up.

Everyone hesitated as well. Sun Shenxing slowly asked, "Could it be that he has colluded with Wei Zhongxian?"

No one dared to say whether that guess was right or wrong.

If the guess was right, that was normal. The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard colluding with each other was hardly a strange thing, let alone the fact that they had colluded more than once or twice before.

If it was wrong, that was also normal. Because the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard often had their disagreements too.

"The situation is unclear now, and we don't know why the Embroidered Uniform Guard would do this. But that no longer matters—what matters is what we should do?" Zhao Nanxing, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, raised his head and said slowly.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has sent this Chen Kedao into the palace. We all know what the consequences will be. This Chen Kedao—he is a disciple of Li Zhi."

Everyone present understood that the struggle over orthodoxy was never settled with mere words; when the fighting began, people died.

How did Li Zhi die? Who among those sitting here didn't know?

Once this Chen Kedao gained Your Majesty's trust, then people like themselves would truly be finished.

What would be the consequences if the doctrine one believed in was denounced as heresy?

People like themselves had once regarded Li Zhi's scholarship as heresy. Now, if the other side came to power, how were people like themselves to conduct themselves?

Perhaps the other side wouldn't kill them, just as they hadn't killed the other side back then. But when one thought of how their own people couldn't pass the imperial examinations or become officials, and how those who were officials would be dismissed and squeezed out by the other side—who could sit still?

Everyone present felt a gnawing unease in their hearts.

"What else could it be? Nothing more than mutual collusion and kicking a man when he's down!" Gao Panlong declared loudly from the side.

The assembled men fell silent—clearly, Gao Panlong made a valid point.

Wei Zhongxian was currently targeting the Donglin Faction, so the Embroidered Uniform Guard sticking its hand in wasn't entirely unexpected. Whether they had colluded with Wei Zhongxian or were kicking people like themselves while they were down, either explanation made sense.

"Your Majesty was already dissatisfied with us to begin with. If he endorses Chen Kedao's arguments, then nothing we say will make any difference." Sun Shenxing raised his head and spoke.

"On this matter, on the one hand we must submit memorials, and on the other hand we must make things clear to Your Majesty. We should contact those who lecture to Your Majesty, and make Your Majesty understand that Li Zhi was a heretic. This matter is urgent—we must act quickly! We can have Sun Chengzong enter the palace to give it a try."

Hearing Sun Shenxing's words, everyone gently nodded. Things having come to this, there was no choice but to do so.

The Eastern Depot's prison.

Wei Zhongxian had received the news by now as well.

By all rights, this should have been a matter that pleased him. But at this moment, Wei Zhongxian was extremely vexed. He felt he had overlooked one thing—namely, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Chen Hong.

These past days, his campaign against the Donglin Faction could be said to have been highly effective. In the case currently under interrogation, some people had already changed their testimony, and their confessions all pointed jointly toward faction-forming for private gain.

The people from the Censorate said that their impeachment of Xiong Tingbi had been carried out at the instigation of Zou Yuanbiao, the Left Chief Censor of the Censorate, with Yang Lian also involved.

Since it was faction-forming for private gain, naturally it couldn't be just these few people. The testimony of others pointed directly at Zhao Nanxing and Gao Panlong, and some even pointed at Sun Shenxing, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, calling him the great ringleader of the Donglin Faction at court.

The one who had made peace with Fang Congzhe back then, instigating him to give up the position of Chief Grand Secretary in exchange for not being pursued, was none other than Sun Shenxing.

Now he was just waiting for all the confessions to be verified precisely and the corresponding witnesses and physical evidence to be prepared, and then he could memorialize His Majesty to have all these people arrested.

The imperially-designated great case of faction-forming for private gain could then be set in motion.

When that time came, he would surely be unmatched in glory before His Majesty, and he could also rope in some allies at court—then he would surely strive with all his might to reach the pinnacle.

From beginning to end, Wei Zhongxian had never taken the Embroidered Uniform Guard seriously—there was no place for them in this affair.

As for Chen Hong at His Majesty's side, Wei Zhongxian had paid him even less heed, and hadn't taken him seriously either.

Although His Majesty favored and trusted Chen Hong, he wasn't treating Wei Zhongxian badly either! The most critical point was that Chen Hong could only spin around before His Majesty like a little top—his hands couldn't reach outside.

But now things were different. Others might not see the problem in this, but Wei Zhongxian could.

This affair was clearly something the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Chen Hong had cooked up together.

In other words, Chen Hong had colluded with the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Once these two forces colluded, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had an internal ally in the palace, and Chen Hong had people outside the palace to do things for him. Once these two joined forces, it was no longer a question of one plus one equaling two.

And now the two of them had produced this Chen Kedao as well—Wei Zhongxian was even more displeased.

Although Wei Zhongxian hadn't read many books, there was one thing he understood: whom His Majesty employed was directly related to whose words His Majesty believed.

This Chen Kedao was a civil official, and he wasn't of the same stripe as those Donglin people in the current officialdom.

Once His Majesty believed his words, then after the Donglin Faction collapsed, those who took over those positions would very likely be people connected to Chen Kedao.

When that time came, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Chen Hong would truly have stuck their hands into the court.

And what would he himself get?

He had brought down the Donglin Faction, leaving a huge pile of vacancies at court, and in the end he wouldn't get a single one—they'd all be taken by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Chen Hong. How could he hold his head up?

He had done all the dirty, thankless work, and borne all the infamy. Yet the benefits had been scooped up by those two.

How could Wei Zhongxian not be depressed?

He was simply depressed to the extreme, no question about it!

It was truly too treacherous—why hadn't he thought of this before?

Wei Zhongxian was both furious and regretful.

Sun Yunhe, standing beside Wei Zhongxian, had an expression on his face that could only be described as extremely cautious.

He still couldn't figure out why, after such news had arrived, his master had this expression on his face.

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian showed no intention of speaking, Sun Yunhe could not help but say cautiously, "Your Excellency, has something been troubling you?"

Lifting his head to glance at Sun Yunhe, Wei Zhongxian's expression did not improve much either.

He felt that this Sun Yunhe could not be of much help anyway—this was not a matter for harsh interrogation.